Marceline R-5 Administrators met with local law enforcement officials at the R-5 Central Office yesterday afternoon to discuss the R-5 District’s Emergency Preparedness Plan (EPP) and share concerns. Linn County Sheriff Tom Parks, Marceline Police Chief Chris Arnold, and Sgt. Tim Shoop of the Missouri Highway Patrol received copies of the R-5 District’s EPP and provided their perspective as law enforcers who might be responding to a disaster or crisis situation in the public school environment.

The EPP contains the following goals:

— Increase the security of students and staff;

— Minimize damage and loss;

— Return the school to its normal functioning level as soon as possible by diminishing chaos and confusion;

— Provide necessary counseling to assist students and staff who are emotionally affected by the crisis to deal with the trauma.

Containing details of the procedures to be followed in the event of an evacuation or lockdown, the EPP is designed to anticipate the safest responses to crisis situations such as those caused by tornadoes, fires, intruders, bomb threats, and earthquakes.

When Sheriff Parks pointed out the benefit of law enforcers being more familiar with the floor plans and entryways/exits of the R-5 District’s various buildings, R-5 Superintendent Gabe Edgar responded that someone at R-5 would be assigned to provide that information. The group agreed that in the case of a bomb threat, having R-5 personnel available to help search the building(s) would assist law enforcers in spotting something that looked unusual or out of place.